Transcending Time

An avid fan of American TV shows and computer games, Kshitij Kulkarni graduated in 2015 with a B.Tech degree in Aerospace Engineering. “I had absolutely no PORs” is what he says when asked about his PORs in insti. Let’s hear his story about getting into Goldman Sachs.

How did you get into banking?

For the first two years I was just swimming with the tide. I had no particular idea of the sector I wanted to get into. I did a core internship with Quest Global in my 2nd year. It was from this point that I started losing interest in Aerospace Engineering. Meanwhile, there was a significant rise in the value of American Dollar that year. I wondered what was it all about. This caught my attention and I started exploring this new area of interest. It was during this time when my interest in Finance took a hang of me. From here, I went on doing a lot of finance related courses on Coursera. This did cause a slow decline in my CGPA, but then things started getting more serious with me getting an internship in Credit Suisse as an ‘Analyst’.

Simply put, your job description?

Goldman Sachs offers a wide range of profiles. I had a strong maths background and which was also reflected in their pre-interview test, so they asked a lot of math related questions in my interview. Most of my work would include developing algorithmic models which has a lot to do with math rather than hard-core finance.

What does Goldman Sachs look for in its potential employees?

Goldman Sachs looks for good problem solving skills and the ability to extrapolate data. Their interview process is not that hectic. They don’t even bother about your CGPA, their short listing is purely based on their pre-interview test. But this test is no walk in the park. It is very technical and you have to be very thorough with your concepts to crack this test.

Any tips for students?

Try to start your preparation as early as possible. It doesn’t matter what field you choose but make sure that your resume shows significant enthusiasm in that field. Try to take part in some of the finance competitions, they give you a pretty good feel about the work profiles and if you win then it could be very good boost for your resume. All the best!